My 29-year-old son had a stomach ache that wouldn't go away. He was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and died 8 months later.

"He followed a mostly clean diet and never skipped his dental appointments. He also had perfect school attendance and was rarely sick. So when he called me in January 2025 about a stomach ache that wouldn't go away for three days, I immediately called a gastroenterologist in my town. Andrew came in the next day."

"The doctor immediately felt something hard during Andrew's rectal exam and scheduled an emergency colonoscopy. After a major snowstorm, Andrew came in a few days later. I went with him, thinking the procedure would last at least half an hour. Ten minutes later, I was called in. They couldn't even fit the scope through because of the blockage."

"Within a week, we learned he had stage 4 colon cancer, with the cancer spreading to his liver, lungs, and stomach lining. That's when our nightmare began. The hardest decision I ever had to make"

"We learned from the CT scans that the mass couldn't be surgically removed and that Andrew would require chemotherapy treatment and a colostomy, a procedure that creates an opening in his abdomen to collect waste through a colostomy bag. I couldn't breathe. I felt like there was a hand squeezing my heart."

Andrew Reaster, a UPS driver and active, health-conscious son, developed a stomach ache that lasted three days in January 2025. His mother arranged a gastroenterology visit, where a rectal exam found a hard mass and an emergency colonoscopy was scheduled. After a snowstorm delayed the appointment, the colonoscopy revealed a severe blockage that prevented the scope from passing. CT scans showed stage 4 colon cancer with spread to the liver, lungs, and stomach lining. Surgery was not possible, and treatment required chemotherapy and a colostomy to create an abdominal opening for waste collection.

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